Employee Cost: Mississippi vs Oregon (2026)

Side-by-side comparison of employer costs, payroll taxes, SUTA rates, and workers' comp.

At a $60,000 salary

Mississippi saves $1,192/employee/year

$65,490 in Mississippi vs $66,682 in Oregon

Mississippi

$65,490

1.09x salary

Oregon

$66,682

1.11x salary

Cost Breakdown Comparison

Based on $60,000 annual salary

Cost Component MS OR Diff
Base Salary $60,000 $60,000
Social Security (6.2%) $3,720 $3,720
Medicare (1.45%) $870 $870
FUTA (0.6%) $42 $42
SUTA (State Unemployment) $168 $1,162 -$994
Workers' Compensation $690 $648 +$42
State-Mandated Insurance $0 $240 -$240
Total Employer Cost $65,490 $66,682 -$1,192

Tax Rate Comparison

Rate Mississippi Oregon
SUTA Rate Range 0.1% – 5.4% 0.7% – 5.4%
SUTA Typical Rate 1.2% 2.2%
SUTA Wage Base $14,000 $52,800
Workers' Comp Rate 1.15% 1.08%
State Income Tax Yes Yes
Paid Family Leave Not required 0.4%

What This Means for Employers

For a business hiring at a $60,000 salary, choosing Mississippi over Oregon saves $1,192 per employee per year in employer-side payroll costs alone. For a team of 10, that's $11,916 annually.

The biggest difference comes from SUTA (state unemployment tax) — Mississippi charges 1.2% vs Oregon's 2.2%. Note that federal taxes (Social Security, Medicare, FUTA) are identical in both states.

These numbers reflect employer-side costs only and don't include benefits, overhead, or the employee's own tax burden. Use the interactive Employee Cost Calculator to model different salary levels and benefits packages.

Cost Comparison at Different Salary Levels

How the gap changes from $30K to $150K

Salary MS Total OR Total Difference
$30,000 $32,850 $33,441 -$591
$40,000 $43,730 $44,574 -$844
$50,000 $54,610 $55,707 -$1,097
$60,000 $65,490 $66,682 -$1,192
$75,000 $81,810 $83,051 -$1,241
$100,000 $109,010 $110,334 -$1,324
$125,000 $136,210 $137,616 -$1,406
$150,000 $163,410 $164,899 -$1,489

Click any amount to see the full cost breakdown for that salary and state. Amounts shown from the perspective of MS.

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